All she’d thought about was herself and what not to do. Don’t date guys on the hell-no list. Don’t get hurt like her mother. Don’t end up in a failed relationship. But at the same time, she didn’t want to let him go. Fear ruled every step, making it convenient for her to deny the obvious. She’d fallen for Reid.
Her eyes grew heavy. As she leaned against the wall, she dozed on Celine’s shoulder. A hand grasped her elbow. She jumped. The hall light was on.
Dalir knelt in front of her. “He needs you.”
“He’s awake?” She sat up.
Celine mumbled in her sleep.
Dalir placed his hand over Celine’s and she stilled.
Lauren eased away from Celine. “What is it? What’s happened?”
He guided her into the room. A soft glow emanated from a recessed area at the top of the walls.
Reid lay on the double bed, eyes closed. The white sheet was pulled up high on his chest. His hands were bandaged.
She grasped Reid’s arm. He didn’t move or open his eyes. “Is he unconscious? In a coma?”
“He’s barricaded himself in his mind. It’s a protection mechanism I taught him to keep his thoughts safe. He won’t let me in. He still believes Kell is a threat. If he stays where he is much longer, he won’t return. You have to let him know he’s out of danger.”
What if Reid didn’t want to listen to her? Guilt washed in. “I shut him down when he tried to tell me the truth. He might not want to see me.”
“When he couldn’t remember where to go, he sought you out. When he got his memory back he could have walked away and said nothing, but he wanted you to know. Reid doesn’t trust anyone beyond his brothers, but he trusted you. He’ll let you in.”
“How do I reach him?”
“I will get you there. You have to convince him to see the fa?ade. He’s recreated a place that he knows well. He feels comfortable and safe. It will seem ideal with everything he could ever want.”
She’d felt that way with Reid in Mazree before he’d saved the girl. She’d believed that she could forget about everything and stay there with him forever.
“He has to leave willingly. If he perceives you as a threat, he’ll retreat deeper into his mind. You must say whatever is needed. Do whatever it takes to bring him back.” Dalir’s direct gaze held hers. “Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
Dalir pulled back the sheet.
Her stomach clenched hard in revulsion and grief.
Mottled black, purple, and yellow splotches and welts covered Reid’s torso. More of them continued past his briefs down his legs.
“Lay beside him.”
As she climbed in her trembles shook the mattress. Hardly any places on him remained unscathed; even his face had bruises. A cut marred his lower lip.
“Move closer.”
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You won’t. I’ve started the healing process. I can do more once you bring him out. Touch him. Let Reid feel that you’re here.”
She curled to his side and lay her head against the tattoo on his shoulder. His body heat bled through her clothes. Her palm rose and fell with his even breaths and the solid beat of his heart. A rush of gratefulness threatened tears. She blinked them back. “Now what?”
“I’ll merge you into his consciousness.” A slight smile softened Dalir’s face. “You’re safe. If you can’t get him to agree or something’s wrong, call my name. You’ll immediately come back to reality. Otherwise, Reid will take you out with him.” His gaze took on an otherworldly glow. “Relax.”
The sudden urge to sleep tugged down her heavy eyelids. Reid had endured torture after saving her and had fought to come this far. Now it was her turn to take care of him. She’d find a way to bring him home.
Chapter 18
Reid sat at the grand piano, running up and down the octaves. Hanon exercises. His grandfather had sworn by them as the perfect warm-up for the hands. Strange. Today his joints ached. As he stretched his fingers, he fumbled the reach for the keys. The wrong chord echoed across the sunny valley in front of him. Pristine acres of green unfolded to the top of the mountains cresting into the sun-drenched sky of Mazree.
He flexed his hands and tried again. This time, a concerto came straight from his heart and flowed through him. Chords combined into fluid musical phrases that intertwined into resonant beauty. The notes floated in crisp, fresh air scented with pine. He inhaled and let it marinate in his lungs.
A space in the underbrush opened. Lauren walked into the clearing.
Happiness tinged with apprehension rose. No. She shouldn’t be there. He’d saved her. She was with Thane and Dalir. His heart beat faster. He needed to retreat deeper and stop Kell from breaking into his mind. The scene in front of him shifted to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Fluffy clouds hung in the sky, obscuring the highest peaks. Oak trees replaced the pines. Lauren started to fade.
“Reid.” She wrapped her arms around him. “You’re here.”
He didn’t sense the ancient probing into his thoughts. A new tactic? But she felt so wonderful and real.